■ Set N20 million rice farm ablaze
From Obinna Odogwu, Ekwulobia
For rice farmers in Ugbene, a sleepy community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, the new year has wreaked great havoc on them. On January 2, they had woken up to see their expansive commercial rice farm up in flames.
The rice fields owned by farmers in Umualor and Umuagunwoke villages occupy about 75 hectares of land.
Thus the dastardly and disheartening act suspected to have been perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen has brought great sadness to the farmers as they wailed uncontrollably over their loss.
The farmers claimed that three Fulani herdsmen in the early hours of that fateful day had set their farm with rice worth over N20 million on fire.
According to them, the dastardly act was carried out as a result of their lingering feud with the herdsmen, which started last year when the cattle rearers allegedly trespassed into their farms; an incident, they disclosed, resulted in an open confrontation as each other freely used firearms.
Conducting newsmen round the smouldering scene, the farmers, some of who had tears cascading down their cheeks, lamented that they took loans to embark on the agribusiness in the hope of paying back after harvest and sales.
A community leader, Mr Emmanuel Ifesinachi Okoye, narrating what happened said: “It happened on the 2nd of January, 2016. During the village meeting, a message came to us that our farm known as Area 1 was set ablaze by the Fulani herdsmen. We abruptly stopped the meeting and w to the farm. On getting to the farm, we saw that our massive rice farm was on fire. People were lamenting and crying. Most of us took loans to embark on the farming and that’s why there is sadness and wailing all over the community.
“Governor Willie Obiano last year gave us free fertilizers with which we used for farming last season and the yield was visibly enormous. But because of this ugly incident, the marriage ceremonies that were going on in the town somewhat turned into funeral as people were wailing. There was sadness all over the community because farming is our major occupation. This is a community where more than 80 per cent of the population are farmers. We saw them running into the distance with their cows, and as such, we couldn’t chase after them.”
Giving further insight on the cause of the act, Okoye disclosed that “last year, they trooped into our rice farm with their herds of cow and started grazing on the rice seedlings. We asked them to leave but they refused. The next thing was that they started shooting at us. So, we had to retreat. After that misunderstanding, we thought that was the end but you can see what they did to our farm; they eventually came and set our rice farm ablaze.”
Another farmer, Mr Joseph Urebe, regretted that the herdsmen have been fomenting trouble with the farmers, noting that all entreaties to desist from leading their cows into their rice farms have yielded no result.
Other farmers who spoke with Oriental News corroborated the duo even as they pleaded with the Anambra State governor to wade into the matter before it gets out of hand.
When contacted, the Zonal Chairman (South East), Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, said: “It is not true. Fulani herdsmen cannot do something like that. It’s those people that burnt their rice farm. We have a committee that looks into such matter in Anambra. They should go and report the matter there.”
Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ali Alphonsus Okechukwu, a DSP, said the matter has not been tabled to him, but said he would contact the Achalla Police Division for details and necessarily actions.